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Law reform

Women in North Africa have made tremendous progress in promoting and upholding their rights. Women in this region—commonly known as the Maghreb—are at the forefront of the Arab world in terms of individual rights and gender equality, and constitute models for other Arab women to follow. A number of lessons may be drawn from the inspiring experience of women in North Africa, especially in Morocco and Tunisia.

In 1995 a significant set of reforms to the Sri Lanka penal code was enacted. The process was consultative and women’s groups were included in the discussions that led to the reforms. While the 1995 amendments were, by and large, a welcome modernization of the penal code, nineteen years after these amendments, still other laws remain which undermine women’s equality. The demand for further legal reform is about this ‘unfinished business’. At a time of elections Cat’s Eye particularly wants to highlight some laws (which apply to both men and women, and some to women in particular) that require urgent reform so that the public and political parties can take note.

A husband can prevent his wife from participating in the political life under Egypt's personal status Laws. This was the concern expressed by one of the contributors to a workshop held by the Land Centre of Human Rights in Cairo entitled "woman and the parliamentary election" attended by more than fifty members from civil organization, local assemblies, lawyers, and journalists. The workshop proceedings started with the first session titled "Reasons and results of women's quota" headed by the coordinator of program of woman in the centre, Ms. Dahlia Omara.

Christians, Hindus, Muslims, legal experts, religious scholars and activists for human rights, are all concerned about the abuses perpetrated in the name of the blasphemy law in Pakistan and call for its repeal. A popular front is emerging in the country which promises to bring the battle for the cancellation of the norm that provides for life imprisonment or the death penalty for those who profane the Koran, or defame the name of the prophet Muhammad.

Kuwaiti women will be able to obtain their own passport without the consent of their husbands, following a ruling by the country's constitutional court. While The Kuwaiti Constitutional Court [official website, in Arabic] ruled that female lawmakers are not required to wear the hijab, or traditional Muslim headscarf.